Taken and forgotten: how vulnerable mothers are failed by the UK justice system

Young women face repeated child removals, a lack of support, and impossible odds to keep their families together, reports Scarlet Hannington. CW: Contains reference to domestic abuse and self-harm.

Chelsie* gave birth to her first daughter at 20 years old, and was instantly filled with love. A few days later, she stood outside the hospital doors watching as a social worker bundled her newborn child into a car, and drove away. She cried for days. On a maternity ward a little over a year later in late 2022, surrounded by fellow mothers with cooing f…